[There is no Sunday Commentary – enjoy your day — but I will leave up this important Commentary from Saturday in case you haven’t read it! – Flash] It’s time for a course-correction. I understand that the strategy for the Governor to be re-elected this November includes firmly planting his flag in the political center and holding his ground — with conservatives holding their noses at some of his policy moves, as the specter of a Phil Angelides’ Governorship is too much to bear. Relative to conservatives, that strategy is working to some extent (look at me, I have said a hundred times on this page that I am supporter Schwarzenegger for re-election). But lately I have noticed that among many of my conservative friends who are involved in politics, the enthusiasm and energy… Read More

It’s a slow news day in Fresno. Other than the stifling 113 degree heat, there is absolutely nothing going on of interest around here. The town is as deserted as its been in awhile as all who can seek refuge at Shaver Lake, Pismo Beach, Carmel, Monterey and Santa Cruz.

I have no idea why the Bee would bother with a story on the Congressional "race" between Democrat TJ Cox and incumbent GOP Congressmen George Radanovich. This is one of the most conservative districts in the country and the registration makes it impossible for a Democrat to win.

Someone has talked TJ Cox into spending a truckload of his own money to try to unseat Radanovich and whoever it is has committed a grievous offense against the Cox family fortune. It’s called political malpractice.

Yes, there are periods where a Democrat can out raise a Republican in a Republican District. Most donors correctly withhold their funds from a candidate like Radanovich because they know he can’t lose.

Meanwhile, self… Read More

In San Diego County, the process for nonpartisan endorsements by the Republican Party started a couple of weeks ago with the mass endorsement of dozens if not hundreds of Republican incumbents by the Committee. Part of the process, however, allows individual GOP incumbents to be “pulled” from the mass endorsement list by members of the Committee. Usually, an incumbent is only pulled for a pretty straightforward reason. Pulled candidates need to come before the assembled Central Committee during their regular endorsement meeting, ask for the endorsement, and answer any questions or address any problems the committee my have. Their Republican opponents are allowed the same opportunity. Then the committee votes.

This year two North San Diego County Mayors were pulled.

Before getting into particulars, some background is needed. Polling has demonstrated time and time again that the Republican endorsement is the single most important endorsement in both the County of San Diego as a whole, and in the vast suburban neighborhoods and cities outside of the urban core. Over the past few years the local Republican Party has increased it’s political… Read More

No one in the Republican Party likely expected Mayor Jerry Sanders and Councilman Kevin Faulconer to ever be what a conservative refers to as "hardcore." The City of San Diego doesn’t exactly have a history of breeding conservative politicians, and many ideologues seem to have settled with the fact that"centrist-right" elected officials inSDwill, for the most part,at least holdtheirown on fiscal issues (the small issue of the pension debacle aside).

Sure, those registered as Reps may stand up for the Mt. Soledad Cross (while watering down the core argument by noting they are defending aWar Memorial, not a religious symbol), and most back the Boy Scouts fairly consistently, but Republicans on the San Diego City Council are typically a fairly moderate crew. But, needle exchange?

As noted on these pages, the program was recently reinstated in San Diego at the urging of Mayor Sanders, passing the city council on a 6-1 vote. (Find the SDUT story… Read More

It’s time for a course-correction. I understand that the strategy for the Governor to be re-elected this November includes firmly planting his flag in the political center and holding his ground — with conservatives holding their noses at some of his policy moves, as the specter of a Phil Angelides’ Governorship is too much to bear. Relative to conservatives, that strategy is working to some extent (look at me, I have said a hundred times on this page that I am supporter Schwarzenegger for re-election). But lately I have noticed that among many of my conservative friends who are involved in politics, the enthusiasm and energy is waning. Oh, these friends will vote. And by and large they will vote for Schwarzenegger (one told me yesterday he was going to write in Tom McClintock). But the enthusiasm to get out that and charge the hill for Schwarzenegger lessens with each shift to the left. I know that there… Read More

I often think that government watchdogs and those among us who gripe about lobbyists and political fund raising and ‘influence’ in government were the kids who never cut sixth period in school. They were the hall monitors who reported the rest of us for being late to class.

If I were a research scientist perhaps I could prove that the anti-lobby crowd lacks a critical element in their genome which precludes them from forming meaningful personal relationships which make them less human and therefore less interesting and in the end, it means they have no choice but to be naysayers.

These sticks-in-the-mud lack the charm and good natured persona that allows the rest of us to operate with ease in the world of politics and government. And they hate us for that.

So the next time your local gadfly wags his finger at you for being to cozy with the mayor or some Common Cause lawyer suggests that everyone, including the mother-in-law of the homeowner who is trying to add a second story on his house and therefore needs approval from the planning commission and ‘lobbies’ for a vote, must register as a lobbyist and pay a fee to the county… Read More

I had an opportunity to work with Gerry Parsky quite a bit during the President’s first election in 2000 – Parksy headed up the President’s campaign for California and I was serving at the time as Executive Director of the California Republican Party. Generally, I would say that it would be a fair characterization to say that Parksy and I were not close. I could pen an entire column on that whole set-up, and my observations of Parsky’s job in his role for the President. But that is for another day (maybe). Let’s suffice it to say that I don’t see much or hear much about Parsky these days, other than occasional stories in the news as he is an appointee to the University of California system’s Board of Regents, and right now he is serving as the head of the board. The nexus to Parsky in this commentary will come to play in about five seconds… When you sift through 80+ websites in a morning looking for political news, you occasionally come across the kind of story that would make you choke on your Wheaties — and this morning that happened when I got to the San Francisco Chronicle. There is a story… Read More

I had an opportunity to work with Gerry Parsky quite a bit during the President’s first election in 2000 – Parksy headed up the President’s campaign for California and I was serving at the time as Executive Director of the California Republican Party. Generally, I would say that it would be a fair characterization to say that Parksy and I were not close. I could pen an entire column on that whole set-up, and my observations of Parsky’s job in his role for the President. But that is for another day (maybe). Let’s suffice it to say that I don’t see much or hear much about Parsky these days, other than occasional stories in the news as he is an appointee to the University of California system’s Board of Regents, and right now he is serving as the head of the board. The nexus to Parsky in this commentary will come to play in about five seconds… When you sift through 80+ websites in a morning looking for political news, you occasionally come across the kind of story that would make you choke on your Wheaties — and this morning that happened when I got to the San Francisco Chronicle. There is a story… Read More